Chapter 675: Pay to Win, Young Man (3k)
Entering the gate of the Taiyi Dojo, Su Jiu shook the black long-handled umbrella she bought by the roadside. She looked up at the outside again, her gaze following the rainwater under the eaves.
The sky had completely darkened, and the rain continued to fall, splashing into the puddles with a “dada” sound. Occasionally, some Gugu Birds, unable to escape, could only “gugu” on the power lines, creating a somewhat gloomy atmosphere.
“The weather in Cherry Blossom Country is very strange. A few days ago it was snowing in spring, and today it’s this kind of weird weather.”
Muttering a few words, Su Jiu put her umbrella into her storage ring and walked into the exhibition hall, carrying a large bag of snacks.
Entering the hall, Su Jiu saw that it was quiet, knowing that it had reached a settlement period. She scanned the front row and quietly walked towards Lin’s position in the back row.
The scholars in the front row were not idle either. They took out notebooks from their storage bags, and faint sounds of discussion could be heard. They were all discussing the ruins they would visit tomorrow and whether there would be any accidents.
After all, duels were entertainment for most students; their most important task was exploration.
Seeing the Little Foolbird nearing the end of its cultivation, Su Jiu did not disturb it. She silently created a pale white energy shield between them to block the smell, then called out E Huo. One person and one E Huo started eating snacks.
“Mommy, E Huo just smelled a foul odor in the air, mixed with the smell of burnt skin. It’s so unpleasant.”
As she picked up a potato chip and put it in her mouth, E Huo turned her head to look outside the exhibition hall. One hand was resting on the chair, and her vertical pupils were filled with some doubt.
She was small and very obedient, making one want to hug her and pet her.
“Perhaps it’s the smell of volcanic embers?”
Su Jiu was slightly taken aback and smiled as she said this. E Huo’s nose was sometimes better than their mental power. What she smelled was likely real.
“But E Huo doesn’t think so. The smell is like… roasted skewers?”
Upon hearing this, E Huo mumbled a sentence but obediently turned her head back to eat snacks, her cheeks soon puffed out. She didn’t think about it anymore.
Whatever Su Jiu said, she would do.
E Huo was Mommy’s E Huo, and Mommy was always right.
“What E Huo smelled were likely the snake monsters that caused the volcanic eruption, but what is that foul odor…”
Handing a small cola to E Huo, Su Jiu had some thoughts about what E Huo said, but only some thoughts.
This was Tokyo. No matter how rampant the snake-like creatures beneath the magma were, they shouldn’t be able to invade here. After all, it was the capital of a country, and there were quite a few high-ranking War Gods hidden here.
“Wuwu…”
As if sensing the smell of Su Jiu and the other person secretly eating snacks, Lin suddenly opened her eyes, exhaled a cold breath, and suddenly turned her head to look at the person beside her, seeing the large and small people constantly stuffing their mouths with delicious food.
A strange feeling surged in her heart…
It finally condensed into four words:
A cat stealing fish!
She, who preferred to cultivate in deep mountains and old forests, found her saliva constantly secreting when smelling the aroma of this “technology and ruthless business.” She couldn’t resist the refreshing spicy taste.
But her pride told her that she absolutely couldn’t bow to this woman again!
She would make herself do embarrassing things.
“Tsk, only humans would like this kind of thing…”
But she only watched. Seeing that Su Jiu and the other person hadn’t noticed her, she pretended to be indifferent and turned her head away, slowly reaching her hand out from her sleeve, lowering her head and playing with her phone.
She casually browsed the news, trying to resist the stimulation and temptation of the spicy snacks.
“This smell… how about I go buy a bag to try later?”
But the aroma still made her throat involuntarily swallow, and her stomach’s cravings were aroused. Her eyes couldn’t help but glance over.
The moment she looked over, she met a smiling face.
Startled, Lin suddenly flinched, hurriedly withdrew her gaze, and pretended to be serious about checking the news. At this moment, several bags of snacks were taken out of the shopping bag and thrown over.
“Try these. I bought them all for Xiao Lin’er, they’re awesome.”
Su Jiu’s smiling voice sounded in Lin’s ear, but the latter didn’t immediately cheer up. Instead, she hugged the snacks and looked at her cautiously, pinching her phone with a conflicted expression:
“Are you going to make me do that again? Then I don’t want them…”
If she was going to do that again, she might as well go to a human supermarket and buy them herself.
“They’re all for you. How much are a few snacks worth?”
Seeing the Little Foolbird so cautious even when eating snacks, Su Jiu found it a bit amusing. She felt that the former Ice Roc Great Lord’s personality was developing in a strange direction.
However, this Golden Retriever-like appearance made one want to bully her. But there was a process to PUAing a poor girl; one couldn’t bully her all the time, or she’d break.
“Then… I’ll accept these things.”
After receiving Su Jiu’s reply, Lin hesitated for a moment before sighing with relief and tearing open the spicy potato chips with a “kaka” sound.
“It’s… wu, good.”
She imitated E Huo, put them in her mouth, and her eyes lit up. Her hand speed seemed to have increased by fifty percent as she frantically stuffed potato chips into her mouth, turning into Hamster Unit 2.
She had to admit that humans did have some redeeming qualities.
“Eat slowly, I have more.”
Looking at Lin’s appearance, Su Jiu chuckled, reminding her of the Little Flower Fairy at home. Both were tsundere, but the difference was that Bai Zhi was faking it, while Lin was genuine.
“All students from Imperial University, Seoul University, and Tokyo University, please come to the stage to draw lots for battle.”
A loud laugh came from the VIP seats. The Mayor of Tokyo slowly stood up, wearing his usual signature smile. He was clearly experienced in facing “long guns and short cannons” and did not leave room for rebuttal. He continued to add:
“Among them, the university that draws number ‘two’ will receive a bye and directly advance to second place. After all, luck is also a part of strength.”
Since the rewards for second and third place were the same, no one objected.
While the three were secretly eating snacks, there was movement on the stage below. After the top three universities were basically decided, the leading teachers stepped forward to draw the battle numbers.
Lin Chujiu and Ran Hua City rose into the air almost simultaneously and landed on the stage, stirring up a faint cloud of dust. They looked at each other, and the latter smiled coldly:
“Teacher Lin, don’t draw numbers one or three later, because I don’t have any restraint when I attack and it’s easy to cause trouble.”
“Heh heh, Mr. Ran, you are so unlike a teacher. This young lady really doubts if you have the ability to teach students?”
Flipping her wine-red hair, Lin Chujiu glanced at this guy lightly, thinking that if they really met, she would move Su Jiu to the teacher’s position, and she should be able to win.
After all, Su Jiu’s subordinates were all Demigod Level. With her self-made background, her own strength must have reached a higher realm to make those people obey her.
“Please, both of you, come forward to draw lots!”
Hearing this, Ran Hua City’s face turned cold. Just as he was about to say something, the referee in front of them began to urge them. They both stepped forward, drew from the bamboo tubes on the wooden table, one on the left and one on the right, and each pulled out their lots.
Ran Hua City frowned when he saw the number three in his hand. He glanced at the other person’s number two, and his displeasure intensified. He said with a faint smile:
“Teacher Lin has really good luck.”
Hearing the other person’s sarcastic voice, Lin Chujiu did not get angry. Instead, she smiled and waved the牌子 in front of him, saying lazily:
“Indeed, it’s quite good. Some people’s students are severely injured, while others are crippled. You are truly fortunate for your students, Teacher.”
“This damn woman…”
Ran Hua City glanced at the other person, snorted, and then got off the stage. The moment he landed, he couldn’t help but look at the calmly braided girl in the Cherry Blossom seats, his solemn expression slowly rising…
In the last match, she had suppressed her opponent with just one finger, making them unable to breathe. She knew that the contestant, no matter how bad, was also a teacher of a High-Rank Battle King, and even he would have difficulty winning against her in such a playful manner.
Even with the armor bought from that merchant of the “Shadow Society,” it wouldn’t work.
Using only one finger, there was only one possibility: this girl’s strength was likely above his.
Ran Hua City glanced at her casually. Yuan Jixiang did not choose to draw lots on stage. After all, since they had already drawn, the remaining result was obvious:
The Tokyo team would play against the Seoul team.
“Miss Jixiang, after this match, please let me, the Dragon Country team, take the lead!”
A man and a woman appeared behind Yuan Jixiang. The woman was an old acquaintance of Su Jiu – Ms. Suzuki Yoshiko. She wore an elegant kimono and carried a light blue long bow on her back, exuding an air of pride.
Ever since she committed a crime in Dragon Country last time, her family had redeemed her with a heavy price from the Huainan Governor’s Mansion. She had long wanted to pay back this humiliating incident.
“Whether it’s Kangzi or those Dragon Country people, they are all the same. A bunch of studious bookworms; it’s good enough if they can take one of my punches.”
The man had dyed his hair yellow and wore tight pants and a leather jacket, looking like a ghostly teenager. He smiled playfully, but deliberately leaked the aura of a High-Rank Battle King.
“Dragon Country is not as simple as you think. If you want to win, you must eliminate their students.”
Yuan Jixiang did not speak but looked towards the far end of the Dragon Country seats. Her eyes narrowed slightly, carrying a hint of solemnity.
“Why? Can Lin Chujiu still defeat Miss Jixiang?” Upon hearing this, Xiangzi and the other looked confused and were about to ask.
“Whoosh!”
A black figure suddenly appeared on the stage. It was Shadow Two, dispatched by Su Jiu. He bowed in a Japanese style to the surroundings and placed six Intermediate Battle King level Alchemical Items flat on the stage, like an old woman selling vegetables:
“On behalf of Boss, six alchemical items are now for sale. If you are interested, you can purchase them. The minimum price is twenty Intermediate Magic Crystals.”
The moment this was said, the audience fell silent again. This time, they didn’t think for long; almost instantly, someone stepped onto the stage wanting to buy.
“He doesn’t seem to be human?”
The other guests, such as Yuan Takumi, looked at Shadow Two on the stage with some surprise, but they didn’t pay much attention. After all, it wasn’t strange for a slightly higher-ranking monster to sell things.
As he was about to step down, Ran Hua City suddenly turned his head and glanced at the indifferent Yuan Jixiang. He then chuckled inwardly and leaped onto the stage, his gaze falling on a defensive butterfly hairpin…
He was already somewhat afraid of Yuan Jixiang. Seeing that there were also alchemical treasures for sale and that she seemed uninterested, he thought to himself:
As expected, heaven is helping me.
